Witnesses say: NPR - vistanews24

Ari Shapiro, host:

According to the ICRC, at least 21 people died in Gaza this weekend and more than 150 were injured while seeking food. Palestinian witnesses say people are heading towards the new food distribution site as Israeli forces open fire on them.

Juana Summers, host:

The U.S. ambassador to Israel said there was no such shooting and said that U.S. media reports that it was spreading, citing "completely fabricated stories." Today, the Israeli military admitted in another incident near the same food site that its troops warned the Palestinians. Gaza health officials said at least two were killed.

Shapiro: NPR's Daniel Estrin is from Tel Aviv. And warns this story to describe the violent graphic scene.

Daniel Estrin, Narrator: NPR talks to two Palestinians who said they survived a few hours in Gaza in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Mohammed Saqqa: (speaks Arabic).

Estrin: Mohammed Saqqa, father of three, told NPR producer Ahmed Abuhamda that he took a carriage to the beachfront at 2 a.m. and joined a large crowd hoping to reach the food distribution site when it opens at 6 a.m., and he heard that supplies were running out quickly.

saqqa: (speaks Arabic).

Estrin: "The Israeli military began firing warning shots from tanks and naval ships," he said. "The drone announced orders the crowd to retreat." People put down their stomachs and covered up, but they will gradually develop. It's dark. He said he kept listening to the camera and people screamed.

saqqa: (speaks Arabic).

Estrin: There is an old lady and her grandson near him. She was shot dead in the neck. He said: “I found her full of blood.

saqqa: (speaks Arabic).

Esstrin:… “Oh, grandma. Oh, grandma.”

NPR said with another man that he said he was named Barakat in the crowd. He asked to keep his last name, worried about Israel's influence. He said the naval ship opened fire and he described a similar scenario.

Balakat: (speaks Arabic).

Estelin: “It’s inhumane, unsafe and unfair,” Barakat said. He said he returned empty-handed. Everyone has grabbed all the food.

Israeli military officials told media, including NPR that while speaking anonymously, the troops issued a fire warning to the media, citing the "suspect", who was about a thousand yards away from the food scene. The official said it was to prevent them from reaching the troops. But publicly, Israeli military spokesman Effie DeFrin posted the video information.

(The sound of archive recording)

Effie DeFrin: I urge you not to believe every rumor spreading Hamas. We will investigate each of these incidents and one of the allegations.

Estrin: Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GAZA Humanitarian Foundation), GHF, a new food website supported by the United States, issued a denial. It said no civilians were shot near the scene and sent an email saying that NPR's account was totally fake and ridiculous. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also joined. He said the U.S. media reports were false, with no first-hand accounts injured, no deaths, no shootings. He accused the U.S. media of contributing to the anti-Semitic climate, leading to Sunday's attack on pro-Israeli protesters in Boulder, Colorado.

Aid workers say that in Gaza, the big picture is that there are not enough people to get food. In three months, no one has arrived in Northern Gaza. World Food Programme Corinne Fleischer said the World Food Programme has been trying to deliver flour there, but their trucks were robbed.

Corinne Fleischer: Crime will certainly increase significantly when there is no food in the place where 2.1 million people live. People just try to do everything they can.

Estrin: She said what she needed now is a ceasefire. She said this is the best way to deliver food to Gaza people safely. Daniel Estrin, Tel Aviv NPR News.

The accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text can be modified to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on NPR.org can be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR programming is audio record.